THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Construction of major road infrastructure projects in the district, including the second phase development of the NH-66 bypass from Mukkola to Karode and the Karamana-Kaliyikkavila highway, resumed last week. However, the works are progressing at a snail’s pace due to the shortage of workers and continuous summer showers. The delay in getting the Geology Department’s nod to mine red earth for constructing the bypass road has also affected the work.
Already, the nationwide lockdown and other delays had forced the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to push the May 31 deadline of the bypass work to October 31. An NHAI officer said it would be difficult to complete the entire stretch even by the new deadline. “We had to push the deadline to October due to lockdown and shortage of workforce. Several workers have returned to their native place and the works are being undertaken with available labourers. May 31 was fixed as the deadline earlier as we had decided to complete the entire work before monsoon started. Now, we need to work swiftly to meet the new deadline,” P Pradeep, NHAI project director, told The New Indian Express.
Transportation of some essential construction materials from Tamil Nadu has also been interrupted due to restrictions on the Kerala-TN border, Pradeep said. He said 85 per cent work of the second phase of the bypass is over. “Filling of some places with red earth remains. Other minor works are being carried out with available labourers,” he said.
The 16.3km stretch is touted to be the first concrete road in the state. While concreting work of the roads at Kanjiramkulam, Chenkavila and Mukkola is over, construction of a flyover near Kanjiramkulam is yet to be done. The construction of a major bridge across Neyyar river near Neyyattinkara is nearing completion. The highway, being constructed using dry lean concrete in place of usual wet mix macadam over a granular sub-base, is expected to be more durable than regular roads.
Karamana-Kaliyikkavila highway
The second phase widening of the Karamana-Kaliyikkavilahighway stretch has been restarted using available workforce. Despite the limited manpower, Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society Ltd (ULCCS), the contractor, is confident of completing the widening of 5.6 km before the January 2021 deadline. Work on the stretch from Pravachambalam to Kodinada at Balaramapuram had been progressing on a fast pace until the lockdown.
When the work was stalled and many migrant workers returned home, the contractor mobilised a workforce to complete the remaining work as soon as possible. However, the summer showers then affected the work. Now, it is likely to lose momentum further once monsoon starts by the end of the month. “We will ensure all works are completed before the deadline. The second layer of tarring will begin soon so that it doesn’t get affected by the monsoon,” said a senior officer of ULCCS. The development of the stretch has been a long-pending demand of commuters entering the city limits. The stretch had been a nightmare for motorists due to frequent traffic blocks and congestion.